Toe protecting shield



Jan. 23, 1945. A. w. YWHITEFCRD TOE PROTECTING SHIELD Filed Sept. 28, 1942 m m fiM m m. w/

Patented Jan. 23, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,367,814 I roE PROTECTING smELp Alexander W. Whiteford, New York, N. Y. Application September 28, 1942, Serial No. 459,990

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a device or appliance to be applied to and serve as a protecting shield for a toe or toes of a foot, and while it is particularly adapted to be applied to a toe or toes to prevent the developing of a corn at the side of a toe by the frictional rubbing action of one toe against another toe, or develop a corn by the frictional rubbing of a shoe against a toe, or irritate a, corn by the rubbing action of a shoe, it is also adapted to relieve the irritation of a sore, such as a crack between adjacent toes, by the frictional rubbing action of one toe against another toe.

It is the object of the invention to provide an improved device or appliance for this purpose comprising a member of suitable material including a tubular body portion adapted to be engaged upon the toe and a wall portion of the body extended therefrom adapted to be rolled or folded on itself and be disposed below the toe at the rear of the ball thereof when the device is applied to a toe to serve as a means to prevent the device from slipping or working off from the toe.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved protecting shield for a toe or toes of this character comprising a tubular portion of an expansible and contractile material, such as a knitted or suitably woven fabric, adapted to be expanded to facilitate engaging the same upon the toe and contracting when applied to the toe and relieved of the expanding applying force, and a portion of the wall being extended from the tubular portion adapted to be folded or rolled upon itself and be disposed at the rear of the ball of the toe to prevent the shield from slipping or working off from the toe, and the body adapted to have a medicament applied thereto, or serve to hold a carrier for a medicament or a pad to the toe.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the toe portion of a foot and showing my improved protecting shield applied to toes thereof.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a tubular member of expansible and contractile material to show a method of producing the toe protecting shields or devices.

Figure 3 is a view looking at the end of Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows a portion severed from the tubular member shown in Figure 2 and constituting a toe protecting shield or device.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a toe shield as'shown in Figure 4 and showing the extended wall portion rolled or folded upon itself preparatory to applying the same to a toe; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of a strip or web of suitable fabric and showing a modified method of making the toe protecting shields or devices therefrom.

The toe protecting shield or device comprises a member of elastic or expansible and contractile material, such as a knitted fabric, or a suitable woven fabric, having a tubular portion 1 at one end and an integral wall portion of reduced width extending longitudinally from said tubular body portion, and shown as tapering from the body portion toward the free end thereof, and said-elongated wall portion is bunched upon itself to provide a protuberance adjacent the juncture thereof with the tubular portion of the shield. This is effected by rolling or folding the extended portion inwardly upon itself from the free end to the juncture thereof with the tubular portion, as shown at 9.

In Figure 1, protector shields are shown as applied to the small toe and the middle toe, and when applied to a toe the bunched portion 9 engages below and atthe rear of the ball of the toe, as clearly shown in connection with the shield applied to the little toe. In applying the shield to a toe the tubular portion 1 is stretched or expanded in engaging it upon the toe, and when it has beenengaged on the toe and relieved of this stretching force the tubular portion of the material of the shield will assume its normal position or contracted condition with the result that it will snugly engage about the toe and draw the bunched portion 9 to the toe at the rear of the ball of the toe, and such engagement of the bunched portion at the rear of the ball of the toe serves to prevent the shield from working or slipping off from the toe. Also by this arrangement of bunching the extended wall portion of the shield the shield is retained on the toe without any extraneous securing means, as by moistening a coating of adhesive material as is usual in applying pads or medicament carriers to the toes of a foot. It will be obvious that a medicament may be applied on the inner surface of the tubular portion of the shield and disposed relative to an affected portion of the toe, such as a corn on the toe, or the tubular portion may serve to hold a member :vith a medicament thereon, or a pad, to the In the method of producing toe protecting shields as shown in Figure 2 there is provided a tubular member ID of elastic material, such as a knitted or suitable woven fabric. To produce the toe shields or devices the tubular member is severed on lines extending diagonally of the tubular member, as shown in dot and dash lines II, the first cut commencing at a point spaced inwardly from the end of the tubular member equal to the desired length of the tubular portion of the shields. The tubular member is then severed or cut at portions alternating with the diagonal lines H on a line extending transversely of the tubular'member at a right angle to the axis thereof, as shown in dot and dash lines l2. These transverse severing cuts of the tubular member are spaced from a preceding diagonal cut and a successive diagonal cut a distance equal to the length of the tubular portion of the toe protecting shields, and thus producing toe protecting shields as shown in Figure 4. The protecting shields may be dispensed in this condition by flattening the shields and packing them in a box with instructions to the user that the elongated wall portion of reduced width of the shield is to be bunched upon itself as by rolling or folding said extended wall portion upon itself inwardly from the free end toward the juncture thereof with the tubular portion 1 of the shield, as shown in Figure 5, and said elongated wall portion is preferably bunched by rolling or folding said wall portion upon itself and dispensed in said condition.

In Figure 6, there is shown a modified means for making the toe shields, and, as shown, con sisting of a strip or web I3 of elastic material, or a material that is expansible and contractile, such as a knitted or a suitable woven fabric. This web has a. body portion of a width equal to the desired length of the tubular portion of the shields. The body has portions l4 extended from one longitudinal edge and spaced equidistantly lengthwise of the web to constitute the extended wall portion of the shield to be rolled or folded upon itself and in bunched condition disposed below the toe at the rear of the ball of the toe to retain the shield upon the toe. The shields are formed from the web by severing the body transversely thereof, as on the lines l5, and the severed portion of the body folded upon itself to form a tubular portion, and adhesive may be applied to one surface thereof, as at l6 and the portion with the adhesive lapped over the opposite end portion and adhesively secured thereto. After the severed portion is formed to tubular shape the laterally extended portion is rolled or folded upon itself to provide the shield with the bunched portion to retain the shield on a toe. If desired, spots of a medicament, as at H, may be applied to the tubular portion of the shields.

Having described my invention, I claim:

A toe protecting shield consisting of a fabric member having a tubular body portion at one end and the opposite end having a. tapering portion extending diagonally from the tubular portion and rolled inwardly upon itself from the free end toward the tubular body portion, and said tubular portion adapted to be yieldingly expanded to engage the same upon a toe with the rolled portion disposed below and at the rear of the ball of the toe and when relieved of the expanding force to contract into engagement with the toe with the rolled portion engaging at the rear of the ball of the toe.

ALEXANDER W. WI-II'IEFORD. 

